Patentable/Patents/US-9614706
US-9614706

Method and apparatus for multi-carrier modulation (MCM) packet detection based on phase differences

PublishedApril 4, 2017
Assigneenot available in USPTO data we have
Inventorsnot available in USPTO data we have
Technical Abstract

A method is disclosed for detecting packet at a receiving system in a Multi-Carrier Modulation (MCM) system. The method starts with receiving a signal at the receiving system. Then a deviation value of the signal is computed, where the deviation value is computed at least partially based on phase differences between some number of carriers in the preamble. The deviation value is compared with a threshold to determine whether a packet has been detected from the received signal. In response to the determination that a packet has been detected, a symbol offset is computed optionally, where the symbol offset indicates a number of sample points from a beginning of a symbol.

Patent Claims
22 claims

Legal claims defining the scope of protection. Each claim is shown in both the original legal language and a plain English translation.

Claim 1

Original Legal Text

1. A machine-implemented method of detecting packets at a receiving system in a Multi-Carrier Modulation (MCM) system, wherein packets are transmitted through the MCM system, wherein each transmitted packet includes a preamble for packet detection, wherein the preamble for each packet consists of a number of carriers without modulation, wherein each carrier contains an initial phase, and wherein the number of carriers are transmitted in a plurality of a symbol duration, the method comprising: receiving a signal at the receiving system; computing a deviation value of the signal, wherein the deviation value is computed at least partially based on phase differences between some number of carriers in the preamble; and comparing the deviation value with a threshold to determine whether a packet has been detected from the received signal.

Plain English Translation

A method implemented in a receiving system detects packets in a Multi-Carrier Modulation (MCM) system. Packets are transmitted with a preamble consisting of multiple unmodulated carriers, each having an initial phase, transmitted over several symbol durations. The method involves: receiving a signal; calculating a deviation value based on phase differences between some of the preamble's carriers; and comparing this deviation value to a threshold. If the deviation exceeds the threshold, a packet is detected.

Claim 2

Original Legal Text

2. The machine-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the phase differences are between pairs of immediately adjacent carriers.

Plain English Translation

The packet detection method where a deviation value is calculated based on phase differences between some number of carriers in the preamble (as described in the previous claim) specifies that the phase differences are calculated between pairs of carriers that are immediately next to each other in frequency.

Claim 3

Original Legal Text

3. The machine-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein obtaining the phase differences between some number of carriers in the preamble includes removing initial phase differences of some number of carriers.

Plain English Translation

The packet detection method where a deviation value is calculated based on phase differences between some number of carriers in the preamble (as described in the first claim) includes a step to remove initial phase differences from the carriers before computing the phase differences used for packet detection. This eliminates any constant phase offsets between the carriers, improving the accuracy of the detection.

Claim 4

Original Legal Text

4. The machine-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the deviation value computation includes summing up the phase differences between the some number of carriers in the preamble.

Plain English Translation

The packet detection method where a deviation value is calculated based on phase differences between some number of carriers in the preamble (as described in the first claim) specifies that the deviation value is computed by summing the phase differences between the carriers.

Claim 5

Original Legal Text

5. The machine-implemented method of claim 4 , wherein the summing up the phase differences between the some number of carriers in the preamble includes forming a weighted average of the phase differences.

Plain English Translation

The packet detection method where the deviation value is computed by summing the phase differences between the carriers (as described in the previous claim) specifies that summing the phase differences involves calculating a weighted average of the phase differences. This weighting can prioritize more reliable carriers or reduce the impact of noisy ones.

Claim 6

Original Legal Text

6. The machine-implemented method of claim 5 , wherein the deviation value computation includes computing a deviation from the weighted average of the phase differences.

Plain English Translation

The packet detection method where a weighted average of the phase differences is calculated (as described in the previous claim) further refines deviation value computation by calculating a deviation from this weighted average. This deviation from the average indicates the consistency of phase changes across the carriers, which can improve detection accuracy.

Claim 7

Original Legal Text

7. The machine-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the number of carriers is no less than 18.

Plain English Translation

The packet detection method where a deviation value is calculated based on phase differences between some number of carriers in the preamble (as described in the first claim) specifies that the number of carriers used in the preamble is at least 18. This large number of carriers provides more data for accurate phase difference calculation and packet detection.

Claim 8

Original Legal Text

8. The machine-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the MCM system is a power line communication (PLC) system.

Plain English Translation

The packet detection method where a deviation value is calculated based on phase differences between some number of carriers in the preamble (as described in the first claim) is used in a power line communication (PLC) system, which transmits data over electrical power lines.

Claim 9

Original Legal Text

9. The machine-implemented method of claim 8 , wherein the PLC system complies with G3-Power Line Communication (PLC) physical layer specification.

Plain English Translation

The packet detection method used in a PLC system (as described in the previous claim) conforms to the G3-PLC physical layer specification, ensuring compatibility with this common power line communication standard.

Claim 10

Original Legal Text

10. The machine-implemented method of claim 1 , further comprising computing a symbol offset in response to the determination that a packet has been detected, wherein the symbol offset indicates a number of sample points from a beginning of a symbol.

Plain English Translation

The packet detection method where a deviation value is calculated based on phase differences between some number of carriers in the preamble (as described in the first claim) also computes a symbol offset if a packet is detected. The symbol offset indicates the number of sample points from the beginning of a symbol, which is used for timing synchronization.

Claim 11

Original Legal Text

11. The machine-implemented method of claim 10 , wherein the computing the symbol offset includes forming a weighted average of the phase differences between the some number of carriers in the preamble.

Plain English Translation

The packet detection method that computes a symbol offset in response to packet detection (as described in the previous claim) calculates the symbol offset by forming a weighted average of the phase differences between the carriers in the preamble.

Claim 12

Original Legal Text

12. The machine-implemented method of claim 1 , wherein the MCM system is an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) system.

Plain English Translation

The packet detection method where a deviation value is calculated based on phase differences between some number of carriers in the preamble (as described in the first claim) is used in an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) system, a common multi-carrier modulation technique used in wireless and wired communication.

Claim 13

Original Legal Text

13. An apparatus implemented as a receiving system in a Multi-Carrier Modulation (MCM) system, wherein traffic is modulated as packets transmitted through the MCM system, wherein each transmitted packet includes a preamble for packet detection, wherein the preamble for each packet consists of a number of carriers without modulation, and wherein each carrier contains an initial phase, the apparatus comprising: a signal interface logic configured to receive signals; a phase deviation processor configured to compute a deviation value of the signal, wherein the deviation value is computed at least partially based on phase differences between some number of carriers in the preamble, and the phase deviation processor further configured to compare the deviation value obtained with a threshold to determine whether a packet has been detected from the received signal; and a setting database configured to store the threshold.

Plain English Translation

An apparatus that functions as a receiver in a Multi-Carrier Modulation (MCM) system. It receives signals through a signal interface. A phase deviation processor calculates a deviation value based on phase differences between some carriers in the preamble of received packets and compares it to a threshold stored in a setting database to determine if a packet has been detected. The preamble consists of multiple unmodulated carriers, each having an initial phase.

Claim 14

Original Legal Text

14. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein deviation computation processor comprises: a delta computation logic configured to remove initial phase differences of the some number of carriers.

Plain English Translation

The apparatus described in the previous claim, which includes a phase deviation processor, incorporates a delta computation logic component that removes initial phase differences from the carriers. This enhances detection accuracy by eliminating constant phase offsets between carriers.

Claim 15

Original Legal Text

15. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the deviation value computation includes summing up the phase differences between the some number of carriers in the preamble.

Plain English Translation

The apparatus that uses a phase deviation processor to detect packets (as described in a previous claim) calculates the deviation value by summing the phase differences between the carriers in the preamble.

Claim 16

Original Legal Text

16. The apparatus of claim 15 , wherein the summing up the phase differences between the some number of carriers in the preamble includes forming a weighted average of the phase differences.

Plain English Translation

The apparatus that calculates the deviation value by summing phase differences (as described in the previous claim) sums the phase differences by computing a weighted average of these phase differences.

Claim 17

Original Legal Text

17. The apparatus of claim 16 , wherein the deviation value computation includes computing a deviation from the weighted average of the phase differences.

Plain English Translation

The apparatus that calculates a weighted average of phase differences (as described in the previous claim) refines deviation value computation by calculating a deviation from this weighted average to improve packet detection accuracy.

Claim 18

Original Legal Text

18. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the number of carriers is larger than 18.

Plain English Translation

The apparatus where a deviation value is calculated based on phase differences between some number of carriers in the preamble (as described in a previous claim) uses a preamble with more than 18 carriers.

Claim 19

Original Legal Text

19. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the MCM system is a power line communication (PLC) system.

Plain English Translation

The apparatus where a deviation value is calculated based on phase differences between some number of carriers in the preamble (as described in a previous claim) is used in a power line communication (PLC) system, facilitating data transmission over electrical power lines.

Claim 20

Original Legal Text

20. The apparatus of claim 19 , wherein the PLC system complies with G3-Power Line Communication (PLC) physical layer specification.

Plain English Translation

The apparatus used in a PLC system (as described in the previous claim) is compliant with the G3-PLC physical layer specification.

Claim 21

Original Legal Text

21. The apparatus of claim 13 , further comprising a symbol offset computing logic configured to compute a sample offset in response to the determination that a packet has been detected, wherein the symbol offset indicates a number of sample points from a beginning of a symbol.

Plain English Translation

The apparatus that detects packets based on phase differences (as described in a previous claim) also contains a symbol offset computing logic. This logic calculates a sample offset when a packet is detected, providing timing synchronization information.

Claim 22

Original Legal Text

22. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the MCM system is an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) system.

Plain English Translation

The apparatus where a deviation value is calculated based on phase differences between some number of carriers in the preamble (as described in a previous claim) is implemented in an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) system.

Classification Codes (CPC)

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Patent Metadata

Filing Date

January 26, 2016

Publication Date

April 4, 2017

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